The focus of previous research followed the extent to which antibiotic use in agriculture can be reduced under CAM procedures, specifically homeopathy.
Keywords: meta-analysis, placebo-controlled, randomized control trials, systematic review, veterinary homeopathy.
RESULT: The meta-analysis provides some very limited evidence that a clinical intervention in animals with homeopathic medicines is distinguishable from a corresponding intervention with placebos. The small number and quality of studies prevents a more firm conclusion. (Mathie & Clausen, 2015)
(mainly homeopathy)
RESULT: It seems that the Swiss-based association "Kometian" was able to contribute to reducing antibiotic use at farm level with appropriate advice. (Maeschli et al., 2018)
RESULT: The subjective approach to treatment according to farmers' own criteria, the failure to verify the outcome of treatment and the lack of appropriate documentation, are likely to significantly reduce the potential for successful recovery of animals from disease. There is therefore a need to verify the effectiveness of homeopathic treatments in agricultural practice based on a lege artis treatment procedure and homeopathic principles. This can be achieved by regular monitoring of treatment outcomes and prevailing disease rates at the herd level. In addition, there is a potential risk to food safety from the use of non-animal medicines without a veterinary prescription and the use of other prohibited substances. (Keller et al., 2019)
The randomized controlled trial by WERNER et al. (2010) compared the efficacy of homeopathic treatment with antibiotic therapy and placebo, in cows with mild to moderate clinical mastitis. In pathogen-positive mastitis, the cure rate at four and eight weeks was similar between the two treatment strategies (21% vs. 18% and 24% vs. 31%, respectively), and the difference between homeopathic therapy and placebo was significant at day 56 (31% vs. 4%; p < 0.05; Kruskal-Wallis test).
The results indicate a therapeutic effect of homeopathic treatment in mild and moderate mastitis in cows.
ZEISE and FRITZ (2019) investigated 32 studies on mastitis of cows from 1982 to 2016 using a quality score and concluded an efficacy of homeopathy from the 8 highest quality studies.
The selected studies showed a positive result for homeopathy, the effect being based on the individualized analysis of the symptom pattern of the remedy used ("drug picture" of the remedy). Antibiotic consumption can be reduced up to 75%. Some work indicates that positive long-term effects are also present. Overall, the work demonstrates the potential of self-healing ability of bovine mastitis.
In a study of mastitis in cows caused by udder pathogenic bacteria, the efficacy of homeopathic therapy was shown in comparison to placebo (p<0.05; chi-square test, t-test, logistic regression), as well as an overall reduction in antibiotic use of up to 75% (Merck & Fidelak 2004).
RESULT: Under the conditions studied, herd-specific homeopathic dry teat therapy was effective in increasing the number of animals with normal milk secretion after subsequent parturition, compared with the untreated control. It may be an effective alternative to teat sealing, especially in animals with relatively low SCCs. Further research is needed to confirm these results, including under other environmental conditions. (Klocke et al., 2010)
In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study on the use of homeopathy for diarrhea in piglets caused by the bacterium Escherichia coli, it was already shown in 2010 that significantly fewer piglets in the homeopathic group became ill with diarrhea caused by E. coli (p < 0.0001; linear model). In addition, the severity of the disease was less and the diarrhea, when it occurred, was of shorter duration (Camerlink et al., 2010).
RESULTS: Piglets in the homeopathically treated group had significantly less E. coli diarrhea than piglets in the placebo group (p < 0.0001). Piglets from first-parity sows responded particularly well to treatment with Coli 30K. Diarrhea appeared to be less severe in the homeopathically treated litters, transmission was less, and duration appeared shorter.
[1] Mathie R.T., Clausen J. (2015). Veterinary homeopathy: meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials. Homeopathy 2015; 104(01): 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.homp.2014.11.001
[2] Maeschli A., Schmidt A., Ammann W., Schurtenberger P., Maurer E., Walkenhorst M.(2019). Einfluss eines komplementärmedizinischen telefonischen Beratungssystems auf den Antibiotikaeinsatz bei Nutztieren in der Schweiz. Complement Med Res 2019;26:174–181. https://doi.org/10.1159/000496031
[3] Keller, D., Blanco-Penedo, I., De Joybert, Sundrum A. (2019). How target-orientated is the use of homeopathy in dairy farming? - A survey in France, Germany and Spain. Acta Vet Scand 61, 30 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13028-019-0463-3
[4] Werner C., Sobiraj A., Sundrum A. (2010). Efficacy of homeopathic and antibiotic treatment strategies in cases of mild and moderate bovine clinical mastitis. J Dairy Res 2010; 77: 460-467. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022029910000543
[5] Zeise J., Fritz H.J. (2019). Use and efficacy of homeopathy in prevention and treatment of bovine mastitis. Open Agriculture, vol. 4, no. 1, 2019, pp. 203-212. https://doi.org/10.1515/opag-2019-0019
[6] Merck C.C., Fidelak C. (2004). Etablierung der homöopathischen Mastitistherapie in einem biologisch-dynamisch wirtschaftenden Milcherzeugerbetrieb unter Berücksichtigung ökologischer, epidemiologischer und ökonomischer Gesichtspunkte, Abschlussbericht zum Forschungsvorhaben 99UM032, Tierklinik für Fortpflanzung, Fachbereich Veterinärmedizin, Freie Universität Berlin, 2004. Retrieved 8/15/2022 from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/10922807.pdf
[7] Klocke P., Ivemeyer S., Butler G., Maeschli A., Heil F.(2010). A randomized controlled trial to compare the use of homeopathy and internal Teat Sealers for the prevention of mastitis in organically farmed dairy cows during the dry period and 100 days post-calving. Homeopathy 2010; 99(2): 89-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.homp.2009.12.001
[8] Camerlink I., Ellinger L., Bakker E.J., Lantinga E.A. (2010). Homeopathy as replacement to antibiotics in the case of Escherichia coli diarrhoea in neonatal piglets. Homeopathy 2010; 99: 57-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.homp.2009.10.003